Well, after 1,100 odd dives in wet suits, rashies, T-shirts, and a few bare chested, I finally did my first ever dive in a dry suit.
I was in Cyprus diving on the Zenobia (trip report is here, if anyone is interested), and after day one I felt like a few degrees away from hypothermia (my dive computer said the water was 61 degrees, but for someone who has almost exclusively dived in the Caribbean, I felt ready for my ice diver certification). So we took a day off from deep wrecks to learn how to use a dry suit.
I had always been shy about learning to use a dry suit, even in colder waters (I occasionally dive in Seattle) because I had always been told that it was hard to teach old dogs new tricks, and experienced divers often really struggled with bouyancy and trim. I had been regaled with stories about otherwise experienced divers making uncontrolled feet first ascents to the surface when using dry suits for the first time.
I have to say that with hindsight that all seemed like a bit of scaremongering. Getting the weighting right was a bit of a challenge (I was a little bit shocked at how much weight I needed), but after that, so long as you stayed horizontal, it didn't really really seem that hard to keep trim and neutrally bouyant. Going up and down the line in a vertical position was more challenging, as you seem to get disproportionate squeeze on your legs, and it creates much more pressure on the dump and/or neck seal. But it is not actually that hard to ascend and descend in the horizontal position, and it seems a much more sensible approach to me (whatever the PADI manual might say).
But what really astonished me was just how warm it was. On my first day we did two half hour dives in full 10mm wetsuits, and in each case after 15 minutes I was really not having much fun. And don't get me started on the surface interval. On day two, in a dry suit, coming out of the water after 40 minutes I was ready for more (my second dive in the dry suit I lect the hood and gloves behind because I was that warm). The surface interval is a great deal more pleasant too. My overwhelming thought (apart from wanting to get back on the Zenobia asap) was: "Wow, if only more people knew how great drysuits were, there would be so much more cold water diving".
Now I am just looking forward to my next trip to Seattle, and thinking afresh about making a trip to Scapa Flow...
I was in Cyprus diving on the Zenobia (trip report is here, if anyone is interested), and after day one I felt like a few degrees away from hypothermia (my dive computer said the water was 61 degrees, but for someone who has almost exclusively dived in the Caribbean, I felt ready for my ice diver certification). So we took a day off from deep wrecks to learn how to use a dry suit.
I had always been shy about learning to use a dry suit, even in colder waters (I occasionally dive in Seattle) because I had always been told that it was hard to teach old dogs new tricks, and experienced divers often really struggled with bouyancy and trim. I had been regaled with stories about otherwise experienced divers making uncontrolled feet first ascents to the surface when using dry suits for the first time.
I have to say that with hindsight that all seemed like a bit of scaremongering. Getting the weighting right was a bit of a challenge (I was a little bit shocked at how much weight I needed), but after that, so long as you stayed horizontal, it didn't really really seem that hard to keep trim and neutrally bouyant. Going up and down the line in a vertical position was more challenging, as you seem to get disproportionate squeeze on your legs, and it creates much more pressure on the dump and/or neck seal. But it is not actually that hard to ascend and descend in the horizontal position, and it seems a much more sensible approach to me (whatever the PADI manual might say).
But what really astonished me was just how warm it was. On my first day we did two half hour dives in full 10mm wetsuits, and in each case after 15 minutes I was really not having much fun. And don't get me started on the surface interval. On day two, in a dry suit, coming out of the water after 40 minutes I was ready for more (my second dive in the dry suit I lect the hood and gloves behind because I was that warm). The surface interval is a great deal more pleasant too. My overwhelming thought (apart from wanting to get back on the Zenobia asap) was: "Wow, if only more people knew how great drysuits were, there would be so much more cold water diving".
Now I am just looking forward to my next trip to Seattle, and thinking afresh about making a trip to Scapa Flow...
